Power takeoff



June 10, 1952 w, WAGNER 2,600,347

POWER TAKEOFF Filed June 5. 1948 33& 35

1 Ill-r. l

RUBERTWW NEH Mae/ J w ATTORl/E) Patented June 10, 1952 UNI TED l a. =2 POWER TAKEOFF Robert W. Wagner; Chelsea, Mich. A plication-Julie's, 1941;; Serial No. 31,276

This invention relates to power take-off apparatus, as employed on automobiles orothermotor driven vehicles, such as farm orroad tractors, to providda' readily; and conveniently available sonr'cel of power for actuating: apparatusexternal tovrthemotor' or --'likevehicle and which power take-off apparatus is adopted for operative connection with the" transmission" gearing of "the motor'vehicle. --':1In connection" with such transmission gears, whereas thesame: normally involve'spur gearing it'sometimes happens that helicalgearingis encounteredfthereb'y introducing a problem into the installingorthe conventionalrpower take-off apparatus; -This,"normally involves a power takeofifishait' having a spur gear for operative connectiorr witlr motorvehicle transmission" and whenirequired for use in connection witha transmissionhaving a helical gearingit' has been proposedtdmodi'fythis power take-on apparatus by the' inclusion of'one or more counter-shafts with anassociated-gear trainto permitthe'trans of the driving I motion fromfthe-ihel'ical igear tosthe= spin? gear of the power take-off. This ar rangemeht introduces undesirable complications asto the increased bulk,"and cost; ofthe modified power take-ofiapparatus.'

Itlwill-"be appreciated; of course, that to con-1 form with requirements the power takemiTapparatus a's'a' whole'must'be relatively small, compared with the main gear transmission and "in' order that a power take-01f may be designed to tak tlie-drive 'therefor direct from a helical gear of such transmission it is necessary to take into account the fact"that"tlfe powertake-off casing ofierswli-mi-ted space inwhich-the liequi lte axial thrust bearings can be installed to'withstand the thrusts imposed upon the power take-off gear when in operation. It is probablydue to this that the prior designers of powertake-ofisfor use with helioal' gear transmissions have resortedto th' use (if-larger than usuabeasings and undesfrably eoiiiplicated and expensive gear sioii-trainsf f U itiis the'objeot of the preseht invention" to provide ai' po'wei take-01f apparatushaving'a power take qfi shaft carrying a helical gear for rneshing tummy with a helical geartrahsmission and w -1-rovit le' acompact yet" efficient construction 'arid arraingementofaxial thrust bearing'for the Thus, in accordance with the invention a power was: (Cl. 74-15.86)

take-omapparatusispprovided whereinthesstande ardcasingsupports a power take-off shaft carryingahelical gearmountediupon a-splinedmortion 0': l the. shaft and. ;the. llatter'sisusupported against axial thrust,lexer.ted lini'the operative:rotation:oi the helical gear, either direct-10mg. by thershaft beingsmountedlin the=casihg.through the-medium or. a two-directionlthrust bearin itselfvinconpdi'atedin. one send-.wall 015., the casing'irrzas comapact and eflicient manner. .1?

practical, applicationsxandembodimentsiot thelinvention larehshown in the accompanying drawings bylway of example and-in whi'oh'l: =1 if Fig. Lis atlongitudinal sectionalllviewv-cr the one embodiment, v.1 a a, FigJlI is a. fragmentarylsectionalwieweshowing an alternativem'and preferred construction :and arrangement for;wmounting thetw direction thrust bearing, and i TFi'g. III is arightmand fiend view of-yFigrIr Referringto the drawings and first to Fig.1, a' power takeoiiapparatus isshownrcomprislngza hollow casing indicated generally at l l, having opposite end walls l aland lb and havingone side thereofiormed witlran open-ingize v1. Kw

"The'casin'g end-walls I10, =lb havezopposed bear i'figbushingsor .liner sleeves *3 and 3a in which the power take-01f shaft 4 -is rotatably-mourrted to extendtransversely acrossthe casing interiorand to provide an exterior-extension 4a =from'the cas me side wall .lb,- -which -sha-ftaextension la -is therefore readily a'vailable'for the makingrlzf the required "drivingconnection from the take-off shaft; fa s' is usual with "power: take-off apparatus:

"'I 'he shaft; '4 has -\areduced-end mortiorrdb mounted in the bearing-- liner Mand -"forming a radial' 'shoulderfi on the shaftby which'shoulder the required location or the shaft with respect-to thislineriis obtained and atits opposite endthe shaft} has a -further-reduced portion' d'e' hawing ltslf' tthereduced portion) arr annularg'roove 'i iriijihih a spring loclgingring 1 islocated to-ex te'ndoutwa'rdly beyond theshaft portion-'4c.-

This locking ring 1;; therefere 'forms' menace with the shaft shoulder -an= annular groove which is utilized to accommodate the inner peripheral portions of an adjacent pairpf thrust' rings} ga-whichare axiallyl separated; by, a spacing'ring I l fto include between themthebal'l beari namembers l'ilr There is thus provided an exceedingly compact and efficient two-direction thrust bearing for the power take-01f shaft 4, which bearing is held in position upon the one casing end wall lb by an end socket part l2 secured to the outside 3 of the casing end wall lb in any convenient manner, as by a series of screwed studs 13 (one of which is shown in Fig. I).

The socket part 12 has a through-way bore [4 for the passage of the shaft portion 40 and at its inner end Ma this bore is of increased diameter and forms a radial shoulder l5 which abuts the outer thrust ring 9a, in the secured condition of the socket part l2, whereby axially to locate the shaft 4 upon the casing I. It will be noted that the outer portion of the bore I4 is of greater diameter than that of the corresponding shaft portion, including the shaft portion 4d about which a dust or dirt excluder ring I6 is mounted, this ring having an interior annulus H in which a flexible wiper ring 3 is secured for engagement with the shaft portion id to form a dust or dirt excluder.

The entire arrangement is neat and compact and provides for the ready yet efficient mounting of the parts in position, whereas by removing the studs l3 the socket part l2 can be removed to permit access to be had to the split ring l4 and for the removal thereof, and hence of the shaft 4 and thrust bearing, which can then be withdrawn axially from the casing end wall lb.

The bore in the casing end wall la containing the, bearing liner 3a is conveniently closed,

upon assembly of the parts, by the sprung-in disc The power take-off shaft '4 is provided with a helical splined portion upon which a helical gear 2! is mounted for axial adjustment upon the said splined portion by the actuation of the axially shiftable bar 22.

' This shifter bar 22 is mounted in parallel relationship with respect to the power take-off shaft 4 and is supported for axial adjustment upon the casing end walls I a, lo by the former said wall having a bore 23 slidably receiving the reduced bar end portion 22a and by the outer end wall lb having an enlarged bore 214 in which a combined ring bearing 25 and sealing ring 25 (similar to the aforesaid ring iii) are secured for the slidable mounting of this end of the shifter bar 22. The latter has axially spaced annular grooves 27 at its one end with either of which a ball 28 spring biased by the coil spring 29 is engageable to give two possible indexed positions of the shifter bar, and hence of the helical gear 2| along the splined shaft portion 20, since the helical gear is constrained to partake of the axial movement of the shifter bar 22 due to its engagement in the recess 30 on the shifter bar. The latter is actuated in any convenient. or conventional manner, the forked end 3| of the bar serving to receive a suitable actuating lever (not shown).

Referring now to Figs. II and III, which show a modified and preferred arrangement for mounting the two-direction thrust bearing the latter consists of the thrust rings 32 secured about the reduced portion 340. of the power takeoff shaft 34 and maintained. in axially spaced relationship by the ring 35 which encircles the bearing ball members 36 against which the thrust rings operate.

The two-direction thrust bearing thus constituted is confined upon the annular groove formed in part upon the shaft 33, by the radial shoulder 31 and split retaining ring 38, and in part upon the socket extension 39a of the casing end wall 39, by the radial shoulder 40 and retaining ring 41. The latter is secured upon the socket extension 39a by a series of screwed studs 42, which latter also serve for the attachment of a collar 43, as is clearly seen in Fig. II and will be selfunderstood.

It will be appreciated that in the use of the power take-off apparatus the helical gear is rotated in either one direction or in the reverse direction, depending upon the particular adjusted and indexed position selected, and that the shaft isaccordingly subjected to axial thrust exerted in one direction or in the opposite direction, The two-direction axial thrust bearing provided by the present invention serves to withstand such thrusts in an advantageous and efiicient manner.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new and protect by Letters Patent is:

In a power take-off attachment for automobiles, a hollow casing having opposite side walls with opposed shaft openings therein, said openings each having journal means, a shaft rotatably mounted within said casing by having end portions thereof mounted in said journal means, said shaft having a reduced portion commencing at the point of exit of an end outside extension of the shaft from one said casing side wall and defining a radial shoulder on the shaft coincident with the outside surface of said casing side wall, said shaft, having a helical spline portion within the casing and a helical gear wheel on said splined portion, and axial thrust means on said shaft for supporting the shaft against axial thrusts in the rotation of said helical gear wheel, said axial thrust means comprising a pair of axially spaced ring members mounted on said reduced shaft extension, the external diameter of said ring members being larger than the diameter of the corresponding casing shaft opening, bearing elements between said ring members,'removable casing structure, and means clamping said casing structure against the outside of said hollowcasing in confining relationship to said rings, said casing structure having a bore therethrough, said bore being enlarged in concentric relationship to said reduced shaft extension and defining an in-' ternal shoulder in clamping engagement with said bearing ring assembly.

ROBERT W. WAGNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Wheaton June 1, 1943 

